- Guadalajara are the runaway leaders of the Clausura 2026 table with 31 points from 14 games, 10 wins and only 3 defeats.
- Necaxa are mid-table with 17 points from 15 matches, but have won two of their last five in the Liga MX.
- Chivas have won three of their last five Liga MX games, including emphatic 5-0 wins over Puebla and Leon.
Chivas’ high octane play has set them apart
Thursday’s Liga MX clash between Guadalajara and Necaxa is a clash of styles as much as a showdown between the runaway Clausura leaders and mid-table Necaxa. Chivas have stormed to the top of the table with an all-action game in which Gabriel Milito’s men press relentlessly and play with an aggressive style from the front in either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation.
They have enough quality in the midfield and attack to make this style work, with the likes of Richard Ledezma, Brian Gutiérrez and Raúl Rangel in the mix for starts, while they offer multiple players to offer assists.
Necaxa are unlikely to be so cavalier in the game as the young Uruguayan tactician Martín Varini tries to keep things compact and solid. He has impressed this season and appears to be turning around a club that has been through a few transitions in the past few years.
Necaxa can challenge Chivas
Chivas’ press will be the main challenge in this game and how well Necaxa cope with that could determine the outcome, but they have shown enough of a goal threat in their games this season to suggest they can trouble the league leaders. Necaxa’s Javier Ruiz is the team's top scorer this campaign and has the vision and passing range to bring others into play and could be key to this contest.
Necaxa’s forwards Julián Carranza and Tomás Badaloni have also shown moments of brilliance when fit, so it is likely to be a tactical battle between Chivas’ pressing style and Necaxa’s attempt to stay compact and strong in midfield.
Back Chivas to win
Necaxa have had a mixed bag in their recent league form with two wins, a draw and two losses, and they have shown defensive vulnerabilities, especially away from home, but this is a game they will fancy on their own patch at Estadio Victoria.
But Chivas are the far superior side with plenty of quality in depth and it is hard to see anything but the three points for the visitors. Their odds of 69/100 are fair enough for the leaders, while Necaxa are 337/100 outsiders, which seems too generous.
Over 2.5 goals at 31/50 looks a solid play in this fixture as both teams can score goals, but Chivas’ firepower and momentum should see them take the win to strengthen their position at the top of the standings and potentially clinch top spot and a better seeding for the Liguilla. Necaxa need points to push for Liguilla contention.
